SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS FOR LANDSCAPE

ARCHITECTSDAVID MARUTIAKANGELICA THUMMOCTOBER 13, 2016

ASLA – NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

What is Social Media?

Source date: 16/2/10

Demographics of users on social networking sites

http://visual.ly/internet-real-time

TALK OUTLINE

• Basics about social media and the internet in general• ASLA Resources on Social Media• Definition of Social Media

• How does it relate to traditional media, mobile devices, and advertising spend• How it ties into an overall marketing plan

• Messages, cross pollination, and search engine optimization• What are they, how do they relate, and what can they do for me?

• Web pages, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Slideshare, Next Door (Dave)• Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Future Directions (e.g., Etsy) (Angelica)

• Questions and Answers

ASLA RESOURCES ALREADY AVAILABLE

• ASLA – CO (2009)• “Marketing Strategies for Landscape Architects”, Spring Conference, Michelle Frances – 16 slides

• ASLA National (2011)• “Social Media for Landscape Architects” – Jason Castillo (FL), Boyd Colman (AZ), Brian Phelps

(TN), – 114 slides• ASLA – FL (2012)

• “Social Media Strategies for Landscape Architects”, Jason Castillo (FL) – 114 slides

• ASLA National (2012)• “Finding Multi-Centers: Using Crowd-Sourcing Technologies to Define Communities of Landscape

Architecture”, Robert Hewitt, et. al., Clemson University

Create Your Own YouTube Channel

OTHER PERTINENT BLOGS AND RESOURCES

• Online marketing and SEO for Landscape Design Firms• http://www.means-of-production.com/blog/online-marketing-and-seo-for-landsc

ape-design-firms

• Four Landscape Architecture Marketing Strategies To Make Your Firm Grow• https://blog.webcanopystudio.com/4-landscape-architecture-marketing-strateg

ies-to-make-your-firm-grow

• Social Media for Landscape Architects• Facebook Page “Social Media for Landscape Architects”

HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA RELATE TO THE REST?• Newspapers• Yellow Pages• Online Guides (e.g., Emily’s List, Diamond Rated, etc.)• TV/Radio Commercials• Trade Shows (e.g., Flower and Garden Shows)• Mailers, stuffers, and door to door• Recommendations by friends• Mobile devices

HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA TIE INTO MY OTHER MARKETING PROGRAMS?• What should the ratio of my spend be on each• Where is the industry going in the future• How to measure their effectiveness and return on investment• How to drive traffic from one to the other• What is the relationship between my customers on each one• What are the advantages and relative costs for each one• What can I learn from ASLA resources and contacts

WEB PAGES

• SEO is the KEY….. SEO is the KEY…. SEO is the KEY….. SEO is the KEY• Purchasing Google AdWords is the next KEY• Your web page can be fantastic, but if it doesn’t come up on the first

page when people search for Landscape Architects it won’t matter• People rarely go to a 2nd or 3rd page

• SEO consultants can help – make sure their pay reflects their results.

SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)

• The key to all you do on the web• It’s how people find you (often accidentally)• It’s a function of how search engines (particularly Google) found you• Using certain tools (i.e., Wordpress) for your web page make a

difference• Allowing Google to “crawl” your Facebook page is important (turn off

any privacy settings)

BLOGS

• Just another way to say web page (web logs = blogs)• Normally refers to something that’s regularly updated• Often includes the author’s personal views or news• Again, you want it to be found by SEO

FACEBOOK

• Largest base of readers, largest base of photos, etc.• Also owns Instagram

• Has its own search engine• Sensitive to spelling differences (see next slide)

• Can also (often) be crawled by engines like Google• Provides insight into the social graph of people (who knows who, etc.)

TWITTER

• Different than blogs or Facebook• Meant to reflect real time updates

• Sports games, political speeches, running commentary• Potential for huge audiences (5K max for FB, 20M+ on Twitter)• Formalizes search methods via uniform hashtags

• #landscape• #landscapearchitects

• Can also be searched without the hashtags

LINKEDIN

• Not just for resumes• Discussion groups are often a key (Groups)• Searched by employers/HR/headhunters• Postings for key advertisers• Contacts with previous colleagues• Referral process• Recommendations and capabilities

SLIDESHARE

• Best way to share Powerpoint• Allows you to re-use work you’ve done for talks• Now owned by LinkedIn

NEXTDOOR

• Next Door is a relatively recent social media offering• Targeted at local neighborhoods and having neighbors sign each other• Allows you to expand your search to nearby neighborhoods• Used for neighborhood news, referrals, and classifieds• Sells sponsored listings as well

CRAIG’S LIST

HOUZZ

• For people working on their house or yard

• Very good target marketing

• Many people searching it are in the buying mood

INSTAGRAM

• If you split Facebook into 2x parts you would basically get Instagram and Twitter.

• You can expand you community and spread brand awareness. • When following other accounts, you may be linked as similar (a good bio

helps).• #relevant Your hashtags can grow your visibility and develop your brand

personality with your audience.• Show off events or gatherings to givea glimpse of the culture of your firm.

SNAPCHAT

• Snapchat can be similar to Instagram in that it allows for customer engagement. You can take a photo with a question (Which one is your dream____?) and users can answer w snaps.

• It allows for expansion of brand awareness as the stories are so quick to riffle through.

• And because the snaps are fleeting, it incentivizes the audience to keep checking back.

• You can also purchase a Snapchat filter for events you are hosting.

PINTEREST

• Become known as a “taste maker”, create a visual gallery that others will follow and share.

• The boon is that if you are “pinned” or followed by others, their subsequent followers will also see your images.

• Connect your page with relevant other parties, but not necessarily competition (interior designers, structural architects, stagers, etc.)

NEW SOCIAL MEDIA AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS• New social media spring up every month• One area of future direction is the integration of Virtual Reality (VR)

• Allows readers to experience the social media “world” better• Another area is continued consolidation – LinkedIn buying Slideshare,

Facebook buying Instagram, etc.• Continued refinement of relative search mechanisms, using your email

or contacts or previous searches to pick out advertisements for you to see

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

• Any?